laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

a

: a room for doing the family wash

b

: a commercial laundering establishment

2

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

Examples of laundry in a Sentence

There's a pile of dirty laundry in the laundry basket.

The patients' sheets are sent regularly to the hospital laundry.

Recent Examples on the Web

The guests hop up and down on one foot, unbuckling shoes, some falling on the floor, others grabbing body parts or wet laundry for support. —Literary Hub, 8 June 2026

And there is no way that the authorities and assets of the intelligence community can be in the hands of an individual who has showed that his sole reason for being in Washington is to do the president's political laundry. —CBS News, 7 June 2026

The extra water allows laundry to agitate more freely during the wash cycle, which can be helpful with bulky items. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 6 June 2026

My dad cooked, helped us with our laundry. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing laundry

• air one's dirty laundry
• dirty laundry
• do the/one's laundry
• laundry list
• load of laundry

Kids Definition

laundry

noun

laun·​dry ˈlȯn-drē 

ˈlän-

plural laundries

1

: clothes or linens that have been or are to be laundered

2

: a place where laundering is done

Etymology

from an obsolete word launder (noun) "one who washes clothes," derived from early French lavandier (or lavandiere) "a man (or woman) who washes clothes," from Latin lavandus "needing to be washed," from lavare "to wash" — related to lavatory, lavish, lotion